This was a good enough episode to get me hooked, so I probably should have gone easier on the rating, but in retrospect, and compared to the more recent episodes, this one was weak, rushed and relied on what some might refer to as 'little boy humor'. Which is entirely appropriate, as that is the audience they were trying to draw in. This series has since grown phenomenally, drawing in an audience from all age groups, from the targeted 7-10 year olds to thirty-year-old viewers. This is definitely a show to watch with the family, and you really should start out with this first episode. It does a very good job of introducing all essential characters, the overall plot, and it includes a few good laughs.
17 Reviews
A Good Beginning to a Great Show
hornsbyhavoc14 August 2017
Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of the true greats of the small screen, and one of the most astonishing TV shows made for children ever made. It addressed tough issues like prejudice, morality, and the struggle with oneself, and included discussions of Eastern philosophy and wisdom against a backdrop of great characters and gorgeous animation. The first episode, while not as great as the show would become, is a solid start to it. The characters are all introduced, the show's hilarious comedy has some great moments, and everyone's motives are established well.
With four nations all based around the elements (Earth, Wind, Fire, Air) and "benders," masters of their element able to control its very movement, and one Avatar, the master of all four, the show sets up an intriguing universe. 100 years before the beginning of this show, when the Avatar cycle came around to the Airbenders, a young boy named Aang became the Avatar. With the Fire Nation attacking the others, he at some point vanished, freezing himself into the sea until being discovered a century later by two siblings of a Water tribe, named Sokka and Katara. With Fire Prince Zuko and his Uncle Iroh in pursuit of the Avatar (Zuko doing so to regain lost honor), this sets up a truly unique premise of the show. Every character is fleshed out well, and while there are some growing pains and awkward moments it's a good beginning. The fun (the delightful penguin racing), humor ("Call me Gran-Gran"), and heart (Sokka and Katara's missing of their father away at war) are all in place and set up the show's premise and characters well. While the show would obviously achieve much more spectacular highs, this is a solid starting point for one of the greatest television shows ever made.
With four nations all based around the elements (Earth, Wind, Fire, Air) and "benders," masters of their element able to control its very movement, and one Avatar, the master of all four, the show sets up an intriguing universe. 100 years before the beginning of this show, when the Avatar cycle came around to the Airbenders, a young boy named Aang became the Avatar. With the Fire Nation attacking the others, he at some point vanished, freezing himself into the sea until being discovered a century later by two siblings of a Water tribe, named Sokka and Katara. With Fire Prince Zuko and his Uncle Iroh in pursuit of the Avatar (Zuko doing so to regain lost honor), this sets up a truly unique premise of the show. Every character is fleshed out well, and while there are some growing pains and awkward moments it's a good beginning. The fun (the delightful penguin racing), humor ("Call me Gran-Gran"), and heart (Sokka and Katara's missing of their father away at war) are all in place and set up the show's premise and characters well. While the show would obviously achieve much more spectacular highs, this is a solid starting point for one of the greatest television shows ever made.
And so begin the adventures of Aang, Katara, Sokka and Appa!!!!!!!
David_del_Real_Reviews_in_IMDb2 January 2018
Warning: Spoilers
And so begin the adventures of Aang, Katara, Sokka and Appa!!!!!!!
------------------------
In this story we have a first quick explanation of the legend of the Avatar. We know that he is the only human who can control all the four elements of old: Water, Fire, Air and Earth. We also know that he mysteriously disappeared around one hundred years ago and that the Fire Nation attacked the other three in order to control the whole world.
Maybe the most interesting thing about this first episode is that those amazing powers to control Air, Earth, Fire and/or Water, differently to other stories where they are due to some kind of genetic change either natural or induced (like in the X-Men or the Fantastic Four, respectively), or to magic (like in the Kaze no Stigma anime), here Katara explains us that her Water Bending abilities are not magic but something from the culture they come from.
So, in this first episode we will meet the Avatar, who will be freed from his 100 years ice prison together with his friend Appa, a flying bison and so start the Adventures or Aang (the Avatar), Katara (the Water Bender), Sokka (the Warrior) and Appa (the flying bison).
We will also have a first glance of Prince Zuko from the Fire Nation and his wise and peaceful uncle, that for some reason seems to love tea and play strategy games the kind of the Mahjong.
Thanks for reading.
IMDb Review by David del Real.
2018.
------------------------
In this story we have a first quick explanation of the legend of the Avatar. We know that he is the only human who can control all the four elements of old: Water, Fire, Air and Earth. We also know that he mysteriously disappeared around one hundred years ago and that the Fire Nation attacked the other three in order to control the whole world.
Maybe the most interesting thing about this first episode is that those amazing powers to control Air, Earth, Fire and/or Water, differently to other stories where they are due to some kind of genetic change either natural or induced (like in the X-Men or the Fantastic Four, respectively), or to magic (like in the Kaze no Stigma anime), here Katara explains us that her Water Bending abilities are not magic but something from the culture they come from.
So, in this first episode we will meet the Avatar, who will be freed from his 100 years ice prison together with his friend Appa, a flying bison and so start the Adventures or Aang (the Avatar), Katara (the Water Bender), Sokka (the Warrior) and Appa (the flying bison).
We will also have a first glance of Prince Zuko from the Fire Nation and his wise and peaceful uncle, that for some reason seems to love tea and play strategy games the kind of the Mahjong.
Thanks for reading.
IMDb Review by David del Real.
2018.
Subpar start with lots of classic and important moments.
wgnjcxo14 July 2021
For me obviously the weakest season opener. The humor is different than any other episode, and not in a good way. Otherwise, the opening and closing are really strong and tie in with other episodes later in the season as well as in season 3. Definitely worth rewatching again after finishing the series for the first time, as there is a lot set up here. Not a 10 because there's not much action and there's not much to come back to humor-wise.
A perfectly executed, if bare-bones, episode
ssccoottttyy24 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
"The Boy in the Iceberg" saw the start of a show that would grow in scope, magnitude and sophistication of storytelling far beyond that of this unassuming, albeit well-crafted premiere.
In retrospect, the efficiency with which this under thirty minute episode was able to perfectly introduce the world, lore, characters and story of this fantasy epic is admirable and impressive. The personality of early every character in the episode is effectively shown in their first few lines of dialogue alone; for example, the first line that Sokka says is "It's not getting away from me this time. Watch and learn, Katara. This is how you catch a fish." From just this we learn, without even realizing it, so much about Sokka's character that will continue to be developed throughout the series: that he's resilient and doesn't give up, that he wants to impress others and cares about his self-image, and that he is highly confident about himself.
And while there isn't much, the bits of lore that we do get are interesting and plant the seeds for the development of the most grand and fully-realized fantasy world and magic system in modern television. But that's just it: only seeds.
"The Boy in the Iceberg" is a highly effective and entertaining opening chapter for this saga. It was necessary for what this show would become, and is still a good episode in its own right. But judged soley on this episode, one wouldn't think the series is as great as it is. This was only a teaser of what was to come.
8/10
In retrospect, the efficiency with which this under thirty minute episode was able to perfectly introduce the world, lore, characters and story of this fantasy epic is admirable and impressive. The personality of early every character in the episode is effectively shown in their first few lines of dialogue alone; for example, the first line that Sokka says is "It's not getting away from me this time. Watch and learn, Katara. This is how you catch a fish." From just this we learn, without even realizing it, so much about Sokka's character that will continue to be developed throughout the series: that he's resilient and doesn't give up, that he wants to impress others and cares about his self-image, and that he is highly confident about himself.
And while there isn't much, the bits of lore that we do get are interesting and plant the seeds for the development of the most grand and fully-realized fantasy world and magic system in modern television. But that's just it: only seeds.
"The Boy in the Iceberg" is a highly effective and entertaining opening chapter for this saga. It was necessary for what this show would become, and is still a good episode in its own right. But judged soley on this episode, one wouldn't think the series is as great as it is. This was only a teaser of what was to come.
8/10
The Boy in the Iceberg
TWGProductions27 January 2017
Warning: Spoilers
"The Boy in the Iceberg" is the first part in a two part introduction to Avatar: The Last Airbender. The first episode delves directly into who we are dealing with, what the plot is, and why we should care. The beginning scene sums everything up extraordinarily well so I don't want to concentrate on the story as much for this part. In the beginning sequence, we learn that the world was in peace and that the Avatar's job is to maintain peace between the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads. We also learn that the Fire Nation declared war on the world and it threw the world out of balance. The Avatar is the only person who is able to bend the elements of Water, Earth, Fire, and Air. Unfortunately, the Avatar disappears when the Fire Nation begins their assault. Fast-forwarding to the current state of the fictional world we learn that one hundred years have passed and that the Fire Nation is nearing victory in the war. This beginning sequence is not even ninety seconds long and it already gives us a great understanding about the main plot and who our antagonists and protagonists are.
This episode does a great job at establishing the main plot and our main characters, protagonist and antagonist alike. This episode did a very good job at giving our characters personalities and hooked it hooked me in this first episode. This episode warrants an 8.5 out of 10 (Round to 9 for the IMDb scale.) for establishing the plot early, giving out characters individual personalities, and the amazing intro scene at the beginning of the episode.
This episode does a great job at establishing the main plot and our main characters, protagonist and antagonist alike. This episode did a very good job at giving our characters personalities and hooked it hooked me in this first episode. This episode warrants an 8.5 out of 10 (Round to 9 for the IMDb scale.) for establishing the plot early, giving out characters individual personalities, and the amazing intro scene at the beginning of the episode.
Good episode!
tigrenok-196141 November 2019
Ice Ice Baby
injury-6544712 June 2020
Fun start to the series.
I like how it's just a brother and sister on a simple fishing trip and then all of a sudden they're thrown into this crazy tale of 112 year old ice boys, snot monsters and element bending.
Sets up some great characters & their personalities- I especially like the frustrated older brother. And the frustrating Fire uncle.
We can see there is a whole world to explore here and these seem to be great characters to do it with.
Still lots of unanswered questions about what the Avatar is and what the Fire people want.
Also has cute penguins.
I like how it's just a brother and sister on a simple fishing trip and then all of a sudden they're thrown into this crazy tale of 112 year old ice boys, snot monsters and element bending.
Sets up some great characters & their personalities- I especially like the frustrated older brother. And the frustrating Fire uncle.
We can see there is a whole world to explore here and these seem to be great characters to do it with.
Still lots of unanswered questions about what the Avatar is and what the Fire people want.
Also has cute penguins.
A pretty good start!
poseyfan18 June 2022
A Clever Opening Episode
jmansmannstjohnslrev6 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
My rating is probably a bit generous because I wouldn't exactly call the pilot episode the most entertaining twenty minutes of tv on air. Regardless it is a masterpiece. Anyone who has ever written a fantasy epoch like this knows the difficulty of worldbuilding, in that it is so reliant on exposition, it can be very boring. It's amazing how the creators could pack so much backstory in just one opening episode. (Anyone who has watch Shyamalan's disastrous movie knows what I'm talking about).
Think about it; from the first minute of opening narration, you already can follow the skeleton of the main story. Four nations corresponding to each of the four elements, water, fire, earth and air. There was peace between them until the fire nation attacked. The war has lasted 100 years and the fire nation is on the verge of victory. Only the avatar, who is the only one who can master all the elements could end the war, but he vanished. Sokka and Kitara's father and the men of their village left to the earth kingdom to fight the fire nation, leaving the two of them alone to look after their village. Two minutes, and there's your story.
As for the rest, not only are Sokka and Kitara's relationships established (Sokka, the brash and sometime misogynistic warrior who is trying too hard and likely overcompensating for being the last man left at the village; Kitara the motherly dreamer overcompensating after the death of her mother at the hands of the fire nation), but the villains of season 1 as well (Zuko, the banished prince obsessed with capturing the avatar to restore his lost honor; and Iroh, the wise old mentor father-figure for Zuko) and last but not least Ang, well ok, maybe Ang just is presented as a playful child in this one without much depth.
The point is, in the first episode, the show already sets itself up by cramming all of the backstory in the first twenty minutes, with a keen focus on the main characters. As a result, you know who these people are and what their motivations are from the get go. It makes it much easier in later episodes to then develop these characters.
That's what makes this episode a masterpiece, even though it's primary focus is background and exposition.
Think about it; from the first minute of opening narration, you already can follow the skeleton of the main story. Four nations corresponding to each of the four elements, water, fire, earth and air. There was peace between them until the fire nation attacked. The war has lasted 100 years and the fire nation is on the verge of victory. Only the avatar, who is the only one who can master all the elements could end the war, but he vanished. Sokka and Kitara's father and the men of their village left to the earth kingdom to fight the fire nation, leaving the two of them alone to look after their village. Two minutes, and there's your story.
As for the rest, not only are Sokka and Kitara's relationships established (Sokka, the brash and sometime misogynistic warrior who is trying too hard and likely overcompensating for being the last man left at the village; Kitara the motherly dreamer overcompensating after the death of her mother at the hands of the fire nation), but the villains of season 1 as well (Zuko, the banished prince obsessed with capturing the avatar to restore his lost honor; and Iroh, the wise old mentor father-figure for Zuko) and last but not least Ang, well ok, maybe Ang just is presented as a playful child in this one without much depth.
The point is, in the first episode, the show already sets itself up by cramming all of the backstory in the first twenty minutes, with a keen focus on the main characters. As a result, you know who these people are and what their motivations are from the get go. It makes it much easier in later episodes to then develop these characters.
That's what makes this episode a masterpiece, even though it's primary focus is background and exposition.
A good start, but it could've been better...
olgun_kacmaz8 October 2019
Warning: Spoilers
First episode of "Avatar: The Last Airbender" was actually decent. In the beginning we are introduced to a fishing village that is located on the south pole and their culture represents that of Eskimo tribes. We are introduced to two of the main protagonists: Katara and Sokka. They are siblings, and we learn that their father and the men of the tribe went to a war against the Fire Nation, who is invading the other nations. Therefore, the care of the tribe is left to the grandmother of Katara and Sokka, and of course, being the near adult male member of the society: Sokka.
It is certainly amusing that Sokka acts like a tribe chief and orders around, especially his patronizing attitude towards his sister. Katara however doesn't want to take it and here we see how two teenagers are forced to grow up because of the war. They should've been living their teenage years normally but instead they are forced take new duties and responsibilities. And also, the fight between them leads Katara to crack an iceberg and revealing the ball of ice that contains frozen Aang and Appa in it. They then rescue this bizarre, "monkish" boy and his giant bison. Then we slowly get to know Aang and his abilities. Right from the start his tattoos and his look screams that this boy is special and is the "chosen one", but all he wants to do is to play games. Here we have a really powerful young hero who wants to "refuse the call", and then we have Sokka, who doesn't have any magical abilities like Katara or Aang but still has the courage, determination and will to actually take up responsibility and rule the tribe to the best of his abilities. Certainly an interesting conflict between the three.
Then we are introduced to Prince Zuko of Fire Nation and his uncle Iroh. Zuko is the direct opposite of Aang: Aang is naturally talented(because he is the Avatar, so he mastered different elements and powers in his past lives), but he wants to play around and is not very serious. Zuko on the other hand is also talented but he works hard for his own abilities and he is a very serious character who is on the hunt for the Avatar. His uncle Iroh probably is more closer to Aang as a character: he also seems to be a pretty powerful, but he doesn't care. Also, about the Fire Nation; I really liked their warship design and general culture. They seem like a nation that mastered the use of steam powered warships like Britain did. They seem to have edge over other nations because of their usage of technology(I didn't watch the rest of the series so we'll see why they were so powerful), and in contrast, the village of Katara and Sokka seem very peaceful and natural. Certainly another conflict there between Zuko and our protagonists.
Towards the end of the episode Aang and Katara discover a derelict warship of Fire Nation and decide to investigate it. It doesn't go well for the two as they set off a trap that signals Zuko to their location.
Generally, I think this episode was a good introduction to the series. It could've been better but series like this one where you have a lore, magic, new cultures, conflicts etc. you have to start establishing and introducing them slowly but also you need to captivate the interest of the audience so that they can tune in for the next episode. I think they managed to do the former good, but the latter, well...
I give this episode 7/10.
It is certainly amusing that Sokka acts like a tribe chief and orders around, especially his patronizing attitude towards his sister. Katara however doesn't want to take it and here we see how two teenagers are forced to grow up because of the war. They should've been living their teenage years normally but instead they are forced take new duties and responsibilities. And also, the fight between them leads Katara to crack an iceberg and revealing the ball of ice that contains frozen Aang and Appa in it. They then rescue this bizarre, "monkish" boy and his giant bison. Then we slowly get to know Aang and his abilities. Right from the start his tattoos and his look screams that this boy is special and is the "chosen one", but all he wants to do is to play games. Here we have a really powerful young hero who wants to "refuse the call", and then we have Sokka, who doesn't have any magical abilities like Katara or Aang but still has the courage, determination and will to actually take up responsibility and rule the tribe to the best of his abilities. Certainly an interesting conflict between the three.
Then we are introduced to Prince Zuko of Fire Nation and his uncle Iroh. Zuko is the direct opposite of Aang: Aang is naturally talented(because he is the Avatar, so he mastered different elements and powers in his past lives), but he wants to play around and is not very serious. Zuko on the other hand is also talented but he works hard for his own abilities and he is a very serious character who is on the hunt for the Avatar. His uncle Iroh probably is more closer to Aang as a character: he also seems to be a pretty powerful, but he doesn't care. Also, about the Fire Nation; I really liked their warship design and general culture. They seem like a nation that mastered the use of steam powered warships like Britain did. They seem to have edge over other nations because of their usage of technology(I didn't watch the rest of the series so we'll see why they were so powerful), and in contrast, the village of Katara and Sokka seem very peaceful and natural. Certainly another conflict there between Zuko and our protagonists.
Towards the end of the episode Aang and Katara discover a derelict warship of Fire Nation and decide to investigate it. It doesn't go well for the two as they set off a trap that signals Zuko to their location.
Generally, I think this episode was a good introduction to the series. It could've been better but series like this one where you have a lore, magic, new cultures, conflicts etc. you have to start establishing and introducing them slowly but also you need to captivate the interest of the audience so that they can tune in for the next episode. I think they managed to do the former good, but the latter, well...
I give this episode 7/10.
A Great Pilot, But Leaves Room For Improvement
e_daneva14 January 2024
The Boy in the Iceberg is an amazing pilot. This is the first Avatar: The Last Airbender episode that I have ever watched, and it was a great pilot. This is one of the top rated TV shows on IMDB with an impressive score of 9.3!! For the first episode through, this would give me lower scores. I have watched 3 pilots of new shows this vacation ( Jan 12-15 ), and this wasn't the best pilot I watched. The Home Improvement pilot was better. Even though the scores are similar for me, I think Avatar will get more improvement. I don't expect Home Improvement to be perfect, and I think Home Improvement will stay around 8 out of 10. But I think Avatar episode scores will rise for me. This is just the pilot. I'm sure that the series will get better. This series has likeable characters, a mix of drama and comedy, and an interesting story. I like this pilot and I think that it can improve to be even better. In all, I give this a 8.1 out of 10.
It good
amazingfun14 April 2024
Warning: Spoilers
This episode it probably one of the best beginnings to any show I have ever seen. It explains a lot about what happened but I feel like a lot of things are unanswered which is not a bad thing because the show has 3 seasons. Uncle iroh is super funny but I thought the fire nation = bad but he chill like that. Super good beginning like the ending too but why was the fire nation right next to the village were they just wating there like what. Aaaaaaanehshfhhejdbdhdhwhehehehdhdhdhheidhdjwjegrusgfgd. Djejsjeuywtdscr Chffgoditsitstisjfzfjsfuzrusrististizfjzfsigdjgxgkxgkxgixigx this would make my life.
Honestly One of The Worst Pilot's I've Seen For a Show of This Caliber
Deadlyknights17 August 2023
As an introduction to one of the best animated shows ever put to screen. It's boring, doesn't really explain much, and seemed like more of a blueprint, and less of the first episode to your epic narrative. They do give character motivations and show how Aang got into the iceberg, but I'm not sure if they actually thought they were going to get a full season when making this, so they can't really do much for the plot besides introduce some characters and give the smallest of backstories. The next episode is a whole lot better at explaining the plot. Overall some nice dialogue decent performances, but not too memorable, the humor is kind of dry, and to be honest I had low expectations after watching this episode the first time.
A decent introduction
thomasgouldsbrough19 September 2022
This was a pretty good opening episode. It introduces the character's well, giving them immediately identifiable character traits, such as Aang's child like nature, introduced in his opening line about penguin sledding, or Sokka's uptight nature, shown in how he constantly doubts Aang.
As an opening, it's nothing particularly special. It doesn't subvert expectation, and the plot isn't anything special. However, the characters are engaging enough to keep the viewer interested, and to watch the next episode, with the episodes after being consistently better than this one. Therefore, by itself this is a weak episode compared to other Avatar episodes, but still good in of itself.
As an opening, it's nothing particularly special. It doesn't subvert expectation, and the plot isn't anything special. However, the characters are engaging enough to keep the viewer interested, and to watch the next episode, with the episodes after being consistently better than this one. Therefore, by itself this is a weak episode compared to other Avatar episodes, but still good in of itself.
Underwhelming start to a great series
matitya-339379 February 2024
It is a testament to how great this show is that it has only one episode that can be legitimately described as bad "The Great Divide" and even that episode, despite its flaws, is not an episode to skip during rewatches.
So did the show start off well? The first episode is good enough to continue watching the show as a whole (and significantly better than The Great Divide) but despite being a good pilot, it's a weak episode (relatively speaking.)
The Good: It introduces Aang, Sokka, Katara, Zuko and Iroh, establishes the show's premise and semi-comedic tone and sets up the conflict of the second episode quite well.
The Bad: It's so devoted to character introductions that the story doesn't really take off until the scenes at the very end of the episode (which are admittedly quite good.)
So this episode is serviceable as an introduction to the series but nothing to write home about (especially given how great the rest of the show was). It's an underwhelming start to a great series.
So did the show start off well? The first episode is good enough to continue watching the show as a whole (and significantly better than The Great Divide) but despite being a good pilot, it's a weak episode (relatively speaking.)
The Good: It introduces Aang, Sokka, Katara, Zuko and Iroh, establishes the show's premise and semi-comedic tone and sets up the conflict of the second episode quite well.
The Bad: It's so devoted to character introductions that the story doesn't really take off until the scenes at the very end of the episode (which are admittedly quite good.)
So this episode is serviceable as an introduction to the series but nothing to write home about (especially given how great the rest of the show was). It's an underwhelming start to a great series.
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